To guarantee high yields, it is necessary to regularly increase soil fertility. If you constantly sow a greenhouse without replenishing the nutrients necessary for plant development, then over time the fertile layer will be depleted and degraded, causing harvests to be modest.
Recently, more and more gardeners are abandoning chemicals, preferring eco-friendly methods. They breed earthworms, sow green manure, lay compost, and observe crop rotation.
Manure to increase yields
Effective and environmentally friendly fertilizer. Fresh manure cannot be used on greenhouse beds, as it actively decomposes, releasing heat, which can lead to “burning” of plants. Therefore, it must lie for at least a year to turn into humus. To speed up the decomposition of manure, you can add compost to it.
Earthworms to rise soil fertility
Natural producers of vermicompost – earthworms – are important for increasing soil fertility. They regularly process large volumes of organic waste, replenishing the soil layer with useful components.
Worms ingest organic residues and soil particles during their life. All these components are processed in the stomach under the influence of enzymes and microorganisms and come out in the form of dense granules. They contain 11 times more potassium, 7 times more phosphorus and 5 times more nitrogen than the surrounding soil. All these elements are easily absorbed, since they have a form accessible to plants.
In addition to mineral elements, the granules contain:
- natural antibiotics that inhibit pathogenic microorganisms;
- useful microflora taking part in soil formation;
- hormone-like substances that activate the germination and growth of crops;
- amino acids and vitamins necessary for normal plant development;
- calcium carbonate, which deoxidizes the soil.
By moving, earthworms improve the structure of the soil. They mix and loosen the soil, increasing its porosity. The passages they leave behind facilitate access of oxygen and moisture to plant roots.
If you do not have earthworms in the greenhouse, then they can be brought from other areas and create favorable conditions for development. To do this, moisten and mulch the soil, spreading straw, hay, or fallen leaves over the surface.
Compost is an universal fertilizer for garden beds
Compost is an excellent fertilizer that serves as a profitable alternative to commercial fertilizers:
- improves the structure of the soil, making it loose and porous;
- saturates the earth with valuable nutrients;
- balances the acid-base balance;
- gives the soil drainage and retention properties;
- forms a healthy soil ecosystem.
A variety of waste is suitable for making compost: manure, bird droppings, dry leaves and branches, pine needles, grass clippings, straw, chaff, sawdust, weeds, seed husks, vegetable tops, potato and fruit peelings, eggshells, sleepy tea, coffee grounds, paper. All these components, under the influence of water, air, sunlight and microorganisms, are converted into nutrients for plants.
You cannot add creeping roots (for example, wheatgrass), weeds with ripened seeds, diseased plants, chemicals and synthetic materials, feces of people, cats and dogs (may contain helminth eggs) to the compost.
To obtain high-quality fertilizer, it is important to properly prepare the compost. At the bottom of the container (you can purchase a ready-made composter or make a box from boards) place paper, chopped branches, and wood chips to create drainage. Then spread a 10-inch layer of green and food waste, followed by a 2-inch layer of soil. In this way a “layer cake” is formed. The more diverse the waste compost contains, the better and more useful it will be. It is advisable to alternate between fine and solid, wet and dry waste. Each layer is well leveled, but not pressed, to ensure oxygen access. Be sure to regularly (once every one to two weeks) moisten the compost. It is advisable to add special solutions of microorganisms to the water.
The optimal ratio of components: 5-10% soil, 20-30% manure, 60-70% various debris. To mineralize organic matter, you can add small amounts of potassium, superphosphate, lime, and dolomite flour.
Green manure to return nutrients to the soil
Many gardeners plant green manures in polycarbonate greenhouses, which are called “green fertilizers” due to their complex action. Green manure not only improves the structure of the soil and enriches it with nutrients, but also suppresses the growth of weeds and the development of pathogenic microorganisms living in the soil.
The best “green fertilizers” are legumes and cereals:
- phacelia;
- lupine;
- alfalfa;
- rape;
- mustard;
- rye;
- oats.
They can be sown in early spring, as soon as the soil in the greenhouse thaws.
Before planting the main crop (2-3 weeks in advance), green manure is mowed and, using a hoe or flat cutter, embedded into the soil to a shallow depth. To attract earthworms and speed up the decomposition of organic matter, it is recommended to water the soil with a solution of effective microorganisms.
Crop rotation and soil fertility
Everyone knows about the importance of observing crop rotation (proper rotation of crops) in the fields, but in polycarbonate greenhouses many gardeners ignore this requirement. As a result, due to the constant cultivation of the same (or related) crops in one area, soil fatigue is observed:
- Carriers of diseases accumulate in the soil: in monoculture of tomatoes – pathogens of late blight, pepper – verticillium, cucumbers – powdery mildew, onions – downy mildew.
- Pests actively reproduce: with constant planting of root crops – nematodes, bulbous plants – onion flies.
- The soil layer is depleted, fertility deteriorates, which leads to crop loss. The reason for this condition is the constant selection of the same elements by crops and the accumulation of specific root exudates in the soil.
Proper rotation of crops will help to avoid problems. In addition, unlike open ground, where crop rotation is carried out annually, rotation can be carried out more often in a greenhouse, since several crops can be grown in one area during the year.
Soil Health in Greenhouses: Essential for Successful Growing
